The Kardashians are always full of surprises — and, now, snacks.
On April 22, Khloé Kardashian announced the debut of her protein-packed popcorn. Her new brand, Khloud Foods, is launching with three flavors of the quintessential movie snack: Olive Oil & Sea Salt, Sweet & Salty Kettle Corn and White Cheddar.
It will be available at Target stores nationwide, on the Target website and khloudfoods.com on April 29.
According to a press release, the popcorn has no seed oils (playing into the anti-seed-oil movement) or added flavorings and are non-GMO, gluten-free and kosher.
Kardashian said in the release that it’s made with ingredients “you can pronounce,” which reinforces a common talking point in the nutrition world that hard-to-pronounce foods are inherently harmful.
“Just because an ingredient is unfamiliar and challenging to pronounce doesn’t automatically mean it’s bad for us,” Maxine Yeung, RD, CPT, NBC-HWC, told Well + Good in 2022.
A serving of the popcorn has 7 grams of complete protein from the brand’s proprietary “Khloud Dust,” a blend of seasoning and milk proteins that adds “both flavor and function.”
Kardashian seems to be hopping on the protein-maxxing bandwagon. Brands across the country have been catering to that consumer desire, packing the macronutrient into ice cream, candy bars, lemonade and even water. The cottage cheese industry has never been happier.
Nutrition experts, however, warn excessive protein consumption could provide adverse effects if consumers aren’t careful.
OK, but is it any good?
I am here, as a person who is highly skeptical of celebrity food brands — of which there is no shortage — to say, yes, it is.
I found myself reaching for a bag when I wasn’t ready for a meal but needed a little boost. Whether or not that’s due to the placebo effect, I’ve already eaten the entire bag of Kettle Corn, and I’ll probably buy more in the future.
I may be “able to pronounce” milk protein isolate — the ingredient that gives this product its protein boost — but didn’t know what it was until now: a supplement made from skim milk that has little effect on the popcorn’s taste, at least to my tongue.
Those of us who down protein shakes are familiar with the grit of protein powder. That texture is not unwelcome here.
Anyone who has had a bag of white cheddar Smartfood popcorn is familiar with its pleasant powderiness, which is present in all of Khloud’s popped offerings. Unsurprisingly, it works best in the White Cheddar.
I will say that that texture was a little less pleasant with the Kettle Corn, since I expected it be more sticky than gritty. But I actually liked that my hands weren’t covered with syrupy residue after downing a handful.
The one flavor I didn’t enjoy was the Olive Oil & Sea Salt. I could taste neither the olive oil nor the sea salt. But, as the blandest of the three flavors, it could make a good protein-packed base for some popcorn balls if you have leftover Easter candy.
